Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse

Chapter 297: Crystell City (2)

Inside Riverview Pavilion, the first floor had a fireplace burning with coal. The windows were half-open, allowing for air circulation, so the smoke wasn’t an issue.

It seemed this bearded man was the local tyrant of Crystell City. He had plenty of people waiting on him hand and foot, and even three young women who were in close physical contact with him.

"This whole building is empty, so feel free to find a place to stay. If you need anything, just have someone get me. You can all stay here for as long as you like."

Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick remained silent. At that moment, Taylor Vance and Zion Lowell stepped forward to speak with the bearded man.

Someone came looking for the bearded man. After he left, he posted three of his men in Riverview Pavilion to keep an eye on things. Just then, someone delivered half a wild boar, and a middle-aged woman entered the kitchen to start preparing dinner.

The group went to the second floor to settle in. One of the men brought up a stove, glaring at them with hostility. He showed no intention of leaving, simply standing a short distance away. Suddenly, Quincy took out his gun and began to polish it. The man glanced at the long rifle and immediately left.

"This place is a bandit’s den, and that bearded man is the chief. Everyone, be careful. He let us stay here, so he’s definitely up to something."

"Those three women are all his wives. Oh my god, that’s just insane," Wyatt Vaughn said, his face a mask of shock.

Evelyn Ford, however, noticed that Ronan Kendrick’s expression was off. She pulled him aside.

"What’s wrong?"

Ronan Kendrick gazed outside, remaining silent.

After a long moment, he took Evelyn Ford’s hand and said in a low voice, "There’s something wrong with that bearded man."

"Wrong?"

"He’s a lot like one of my kind, but not exactly."

Ronan Kendrick’s words sent a shock through Evelyn Ford. If another genetically engineered human like him showed up, they probably wouldn’t be able to get away so easily this time.

"Didn’t you say everyone from the lab was dead?"

Ronan Kendrick nodded. "But some of the failed products were disposed of ahead of time. He seems a lot like a failed product, but I can’t figure out how he could have survived."

"The reason I fired that second shot was to test him. He dodged it with incredible speed."

Evelyn Ford asked, confused, "Do the failed products have different-colored eyes, too?"

Ronan Kendrick shook his head. "Not necessarily. The editing procedures varied, so the genetic expressions are different as well. He has a beard, possibly to disguise his features. I’ll go check on him tonight to be sure. In any case, we can’t let this man live."

But Evelyn Ford was worried about him going alone. "How capable are the failed products?"

"Perhaps half of my own abilities."

"I’m going with you." Evelyn Ford was firm. Neither of them knew the full extent of this failed product’s power. If he had developed other abilities, Ronan Kendrick would be in grave danger.

Ronan Kendrick didn’t refuse. "Alright."

"I just counted the onlookers. Including the elderly, children, and the two who died, there are a hundred and thirty-five of them in total. And there are probably still more who haven’t shown themselves," Miles Vaughn said with a worried look.

"Do we have enough ammunition? Every one of them is armed. Even though we scared them off with the gunshots earlier, you could tell from their faces that they’re not happy about it. We shouldn’t eat any food they give us. It might be poisoned."

"Everyone, stop worrying. Now that we’re here, let’s just stay calm. It’s not like we’ve walked into a lion’s den. What’s there to be afraid of?"

Hearing Quincy’s naive remark only made Miles Vaughn even more worried.

"They may have numbers, but there are eleven of us. They have cleavers and spears; we have guns. Don’t worry. Since we’re here, we might as well make the best of it." After saying her piece, Evelyn Ford sat right back down to warm herself by the fire.

"What about our carriages?"

"They’ll be fine. Don’t worry." Evelyn Ford reassured them again. The livestock and carriages had been smeared with a substance—a new concoction she had created by mixing scorpion venom with juice from a Cannibal Flower.

Half an hour later, a knock came at the door.

The man from earlier pushed the door open. He scanned the room, then said coldly, "Dinner."

They followed him down to the first floor, where the bearded man was already seated at the dining table. He had a woman on his left, another on his right, and a third sitting in his lap. Quincy and the others were still visibly uncomfortable with the scene. The moment the bearded man saw them, however, he immediately pushed the women aside and stood up with great enthusiasm.

"Please, sit! We don’t have much in the way of food, so we can only offer you some wild boar. I hope you don’t mind."

This sort of diplomacy was naturally left to Taylor Vance and Zion Lowell. Exchanging easy remarks, the two of them quickly got the situation under control.

"This is Crystell County’s most famous hawthorn wine. It’s been aged for many years—we can barely bring ourselves to drink it. But I had to bring it out today to make amends with all of you. After all, my men misspoke and misbehaved."

As soon as the bearded man finished speaking, the woman beside him immediately stood to pour the wine. The women were all very young, in their early twenties. Perhaps because of the poor living conditions, their loose hair was greasy, their clothes weren’t very clean, and their cheeks were flushed red from the cold.

Evelyn Ford sniffed the fragrant wine and confirmed it wasn’t poisoned. The food was safe as well. It seemed the bearded man hadn’t tampered with their meal.

A large basin overflowing with stewed meat sat on the table. Its rich aroma made the henchmen standing guard behind them swallow hard.

"But what my men said today... that was just nonsense. We normally get by on hunting. We’ve already dug up and eaten all the roots and bark from the nearby fruit trees. Life is hard. Seeing you all with so many belongings... it makes everyone here quite envious."

"We were in the wrong, too. Seeing how many of you there were, we got scared, and that’s why..." Taylor Vance said, feigning a difficult expression. The bearded man just smiled, raised his glass, and downed it.

"Once you drink this, we’ll let today’s matter be water under the bridge. At the end of the day, it was my failure to keep my men in line. You two must be a couple, right?" he said, looking at Ronan and Evelyn. "No wonder you’re so protective of each other. That’s perfectly normal. I’d do the same thing in your shoes."

He raised his glass to toast Ronan Kendrick, who simply lifted his own glass and clinked it against the man’s.

Throughout the meal, the bearded man kept trying to probe Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick for details about their background, but he never revealed so much as his own name.

The hawthorn wine had a strong kick. Fortunately, Evelyn Ford had given everyone sobering pills beforehand. Back on the second floor, the group gathered in a circle and began discussing the bearded man’s intentions.

Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick stood by the window. Night had fallen, and with no electricity, the city was plunged into darkness.

"I’m sure now. He’s a failed product."

Ronan Kendrick casually flexed his wrists. "The failed products have side effects," he said in a low voice. "I saw the skin on his neck. It’s aged like an eighty-year-old man’s. His physical functions, however, should be at the level of a twenty-year-old. The skin degradation doesn’t actually affect him."

Evelyn Ford wanted to know how he planned to deal with this failed product, but Ronan Kendrick just smiled.

"I won’t have to make a move. He’ll come looking for me tonight."

Evelyn Ford understood. "He’s guessed who you are?"